The present invention relates generally to a device for picking-up litter and other waste and, more particularly, to a device that provides for sanitary, hands-free, uncomplicated, effortless skewering pick-up, and maintaining a secure hold on the waste until release and disposal of pet droppings or other types of trash or litter, a method of making the device, and a method of using the device.
The background information discussed below is presented to better illustrate the novelty and usefulness of the present invention. This background information is not admitted prior art.
Pets often kept for companionship, enjoyment, and protection often provide their owners with non-trivial health benefits, such as relieving stress. Walking a dog can provide both the owner and the dog with exercise, fresh air, and social interaction.
According to United States Pet Ownership Statistics, a study conducted by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) 2003-2004 National Pet Owners Survey, there are approximately sixty-five million pet dogs in the United States with thirty-nine percent of households owning at least one dog. All dogs and dog owners benefit from walking. Walking a pet is a way to spend time with a beloved companion, in addition to providing a means of exercise that benefits both the pet walker and the pet. Moreover, many pets must be left indoors for long periods during the day, when their owner is at work, for example. For many, this also means being kept locked in a crate. Considering this, it is important to recognize that pets require exercise upon their owner's return.
Current statistics reveal that fifty-eight million Americans are classified as overweight, forty million as obese, and three million as morbidly obese. This problem extends to nearly sixteen percent of all children who are considered obese. It is increasing recognized that not only are pet owners overweight, but so are their pets. Given that obesity is an escalating problem for all, it is easy to appreciate that the exercise provided during the activity of dog-walking is as beneficial to the owner as it is to the dog.
Daily walking, for people as well as for their pets, such as dogs, reduces the risk of heart disease by enhancing blood circulation throughout the body, reduces blood cholesterol levels, prevents and manages high blood pressure, and prevents bone loss. Additionally, many people who walk their dog experience lower levels of stress and tension, as well as reduced levels of anxiety and depression. Dog walking is a relatively simple activity which should be non-taxing and should provide a pleasurable way to spend time with one's pet. Dog walking, although a pleasurable activity, brings certain obligations to dog walkers. Responsible dog walkers understand that walking one's dog in any public space means cleaning up any waste left by the dog.
Dog droppings, if left in place, can result in health risks to people, to other animals, as well as to, aquatic life. When it rains, dog waste left lying on the ground gets washed first into storm water drains and then into the nearest creek. Genetic studies of the water pollution from fecal waste in this country have found that roughly 20 percent of fecal waste form in ground water comes from dogs. This type of water pollution promotes the growth of aquatic weeds and algae, which in turn, limit light penetration and reduce oxygen levels in a water body producing environment hazards for fish and other aquatic life. Pollution from dog waste also poses a health hazard to human beings and other pets, whether it's in water or on land. Bacteria and parasites contained in the waste can infect adults and children with campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, and toxocariasis, for example. Additionally, animal waste has exceptionally high nitrogen content, which can be harmful to native plants and grasses.
Cleaning up while walking a dog, or other animal, is simple and the courteous thing to do. Is some communities, it is illegal to not clean-up after your pet. When walking their dog, dog owners are urged to carry bags to collect their dog's waste and then to dispose of it properly. Pet walkers should take responsibility for their animals, as it is something that comes along with pet ownership.
Cleaning up after pets, is important, not only when walking the pet but in their home environment, if they are allowed to spend time in the back yard or if their pen is on unprotected soil. After all, the same ground and water contamination can occur from droppings in a back yard as from the ground in a public place.
Although being a responsible pet walker is the right thing to do, it is not always an easy thing to do. Many people have difficulty bending down to the ground to clean-up their animal's waste. People may suffer from arthritis and while finding it beneficial to their health to walk their dog also find it difficult, painful, or impossible to clean-up the dog's waste by bending down to ground level to scoop up the waste with, for instance a plastic bag. Other dog owners may be too overweight or just generally be out of shape. Moreover, others, while desiring to be responsible, find picking up animal waste, a repugnant activity, especially when their hands and noses must come too near to the waste.
Clearly, what is needed is a device that provides for hands-free cleaning-up dog waste, that allows the hands-free clean-up to be conducted in an upright position, where the device holds the waste securely until disposal is achieve, that offers environmentally-friendly use of recycled material, that can be easily and rapidly cleaned, and that is affordable.